Amid the glut of condo projects from big-name companies, property developer TransPhil Real Estate is seeking to stake its claim to key corners of Metro Manila, proffering a viable option for Filipinos and their families: the townhouse.
Pillared on over 45 years of experience in construction and property development, the company specializes in creating boutique townhome communities in the metropolis.
With already around 1,000 units spread out over 150 projects built, TransPhil now envisions to bring a touch of Brooklyn living in the country. “It’s one of the coolest, hippest places to be,” president and CEO Ramon Camacho Garcia III described to members of the media at its recent launch event. And similar to how some residents of New York City opted to live in Brooklyn to escape the ludicrously expensive property price tags in Manhattan, Ramon believes the same natural flow will happen in the Philippines.
“We feel there’s still room for gentrification in Metro Manila,” he said, and added in a press release that the marque is “evolving into a brand that merges fresh designs and practical concepts with long-established expertise.” The developer traces its roots to TransPhil Land Corporation established by family patriarch Roland H. Garcia, who started as a labor contractor for German companies in the Middle East. As a response to the need for rebuilding following the Gulf War, Roland started a construction company, shuffling contracted projects with his own developments. Eventually, TransPhil was streamlined to become a purely development firm in the early 2000s.
This year, Ramon and brother Rafael, who is vice president for sales and product development, are fully taking over the helm after their father’s retirement. Both agree that growing up in a household with their property developer and interior designer mother Concepcion drew them to the family business.
“As a boutique developer, we at TransPhil take these small pockets of land and turn it into a space people can own and call home,” Rafael shared in the release. “Each unit comes at a compatibly better cost than that of a condo or house and lot, but with the same or even more benefits.”
According to Ramon, TransPhil’s price points range from P15 million to as much as P25 million for high-end homes, and from P45 million to P75 million for luxury products. “What can you buy now with P20 million in Metro Manila — maybe a 74-sqm. one-bedroom unit, or a 60-sqm. two-bedroom unit? But for the same price, (we offer) a three-bedroom townhouse in Mandaluyong with a two-car garage. All our units have fully equipped kitchens and air-conditioners.” According to the Asian Institute of Management graduate, TransPhil aims to offer turnkey properties that are ready for immediate use to keep their competitive advantage.
Eight projects are lined up for the company in 2020, with three already under construction. Rosevale Estates in Manila offers units with floor areas between 299 to 381 sqm.; Brooklyn-inspired property Buencosejo in Mandaluyong City has structures reminiscent of the factories and warehouses of the iconic New York borough; and The Bedford, located near Makati’s Central Business District (CBD), boasts units with floor areas ranging from 226 to 262 sqm.
“We also have Horizon Estates, our most luxurious development in San Juan, situated in Pinaglabanan Street,” added Rafael, a management degree holder from De La Salle University. “We have units with floor areas of 454 to 551 sqm. with a four-car garage, four bedrooms, four toilets and baths, living and dining areas, and a kitchen. All come with a roof deck and a jacuzzi, too.
Ramon says their properties are built for “practical dreamers and young Filipino families. The townhouse is a space your family can grow into. (For some), the only option is ‘I’m going to buy a condo’ or ‘I’m going to move outside Metro Manila.’ But at the end of the day, you always (prefer) to live here. The best schools are here, the best hospitals are here, the CBDs are here.”
The CEO described their relationship with bigger developers that integrate malls into their residential offerings as symbiotic. TransPhil builds properties in strategic locations to provide access to CBDs, schools, hospitals, and roads to residents. “At the end of the day, the biggest purchase anyone will ever make is a house,” Ramon said. “We want our buyers to be proud of their home. That’s the kind of product we want to design and put out there.”